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~ Observations from a Writer-in-Residence

Renee Writes Now!

Tag Archives: literature

Name that book

03 Tuesday Dec 2019

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author, books, ebook, entertainment, inspiration, Life, lifestyle, literature, writing

Books in a circle

When it comes to giving your book a title, less is definitely more. (Think Dracula. Emma. Twilight. Ivanhoe. Mockingjay.)
I struggle with two choices for my upcoming sequel to The Anchor Clankers.
1. Anchored in Love
2. Anchored Together
I studied Amazon’s book list to see how many books have the same title and discovered “Anchored In Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash,” which was published in 2007.

Would that be a problem? Too confusing?

Author Madeleine L’Engle once admitted, “We had to search for the proper name for ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ and it was my mother who came up with it, during a night of insomnia. I went into her room with a cup of coffee in the morning, and she said, ‘I think I have a title for your book, and it’s right out of the text: A Wrinkle in Time.’ Madeleine goes on to say that many titles had been considered and all vetoed before her mother mentioned A Wrinkle in Time.

I wish I had an insomniac mother who could come up with a great book title.

Renee interviews author Stacey Horan

01 Saturday Dec 2018

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author, books, entertainment, Life, literature, publishers, writing

Author Stacey Horan

Stacey and I met when we participated in an author panel discussion in Jacksonville. Her Young Adult books involve contemporary settings, with a twist. She believes, “Real life is scary and interesting enough on its own. I don’t think you need to embellish it.”

 
Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.
I grew up in southwest Florida (on the Gulf Coast), but I’ve moved around a lot as an adult. My husband and I have a tendency to pack up and move every 3-6 years. We’ve lived in several cities in Florida, moved overseas to live in the UK and then moved back stateside to live just outside of NYC. Our most recent move took us to Jacksonville, Florida, where we now live with our two dogs – and we are hoping to stay put for a while.
I have degrees from UCF and Duke Law School, and I practiced law for almost twenty years. Now, I write full-time.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?
I was working full-time as in-house counsel for an international corporation. It was a very fast paced, high-pressure job, but it wasn’t artistically creative. Needing a creative outlet, I began writing stories at night, on weekends and, occasionally, on my lunch break. The first book I started writing took about 12 years to complete, but it wasn’t my first published book. It was actually the third book I published. I’ve been writing for almost 15 years, and I have four books published with another one on the way. I write Young Adult fiction, and I love the genre. My books are, in publication order: Sycamore Lane, Inland, Ortus and Juvenis (the last two are the first two installments in a five-part series called The Elixir Vitae Adventures).

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?
The biggest challenge for me is marketing my books. When I first started out as an author, I was surprised by how much time it took to market my books and promote myself as an author. I’m not a natural salesperson, so it’s a skill I’m still developing.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?
I consider it my biggest success when people (especially kids!) come up to me and tell me they’ve read and enjoyed my stories. There’s no bigger thrill, or honor, as a writer.

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you?
I gravitate to thrillers, mysteries and suspense. When I was a kid, my mom (who taught elementary school for many years) introduced me to my very first Nancy Drew book. I read that first one (The Secret in the Old Clock), and I was hooked! I couldn’t get enough. In one summer, I ready every Nancy Drew book my library carried.

Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?
I’d like to be able to say “yes,” but that’s not true. I don’t write every day. I find it’s an impossible goal for me to set for myself. Nevertheless, I aspire one day to be able to write everyday. That being said, I do work at my writing job everyday. There is always something that needs to be done. Either I’m writing my stories, editing my stories, researching and planning my stories, trying to market my books and/or handling other administrative tasks that need my attention. Writing is only part of the job – it’s the best part, but it’s still only one part.

What are your interests outside of writing?
I have just recently started a podcast entitled, The Bookshop at the End of the Internet. (I’ve recorded half a dozen interviews so far, and the first episode will go live in early December). The podcast is dedicated to helping book lovers find new authors. I interview authors from all walks of life, who write across all genres and who are published in a variety of ways (indie, small press, large publishing houses). It’s been a lot of fun speaking with the authors about their writing journeys, and I’ve learned something new about the art of writing from each interview.
I also do classroom visits with schools via Skype in the Classroom. It’s been a lot of fun to speak with students about writing and to answer their questions. So far, I’ve spoken with classes in half a dozen different states in the US, as well as classes in Canada, Panama and Australia. It’s been quite an adventure.

Share some tips: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.
If I had to do it over again, I would have started writing much earlier. It would have been great to discover the joy of writing in school (by which I mean writing my own stories in my own way) and to have practiced that craft for much longer than I have been doing to date. Nevertheless, I came to writing at a time when I desperately needed a creative outlet, and I’m just pleased to have found it at all.
When I was ready, I took a leap of faith and made writing my full-time job. It was a bumpy start, but now I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s the best job in the world.

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers. To suggest an interview, email her at rgarrison@bestversionmedia.com.

Renee interviews author Mark Wayne Adams

18 Saturday Aug 2018

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artistic pieces, author, books, Design, inspiration, literature, school, writing

18-Mark Wayne Adams-Headshot 5-www.markwayneadams.com

A prolific children’s author and illustrator, Mark recently published a new book, “King for a Day: the Story of Stories.”

Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know.

Growing up in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, I wanted to be something. However, I had no clue what that might be. Other kids my age wanted to be doctors, athletes, and president. I wanted to draw. I remember watching Walt Disney’s Fantasia at age five. Right then, I realized that what I wanted was possible.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?

King for a Day, the Story of Stories is a wonderful adventure about discovering your passion through friends and actions. Teachers and students continually ask me how to write books. I wrote this story to let young readers know how I do what I do, and to encourage them to create their own stories using the tools within themselves.

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?

Many times, people tried to discourage my drawing dream. As I grew older, I learned to listen to the positive influence of people who told me I could. These people taught me to listen and to learn. I found many answers and kept notes along the way. Observing others meant it was possible for me.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?

My biggest “aha” moment came when I hid family members as townspeople extras in King for a Day. With my author and illustrator successes, family and friends request to be characters in my books. By hiding my immediate family in one book, I’ll never need to draw them again. Ha! Ha!

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?

When illustrating children’s books, my best resource book has been How to Write and Illustrate Children’s Books and Get Them Published. Many self-proclaimed authors claim they’re the best, but How to Write and Illustrate Children’s Books is a timeless resource written by professionals. I keep my copy handy for every project.

Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?

Yes! I carry writing tools with me everywhere. I never know where my next idea will be found! I carry these two things: (1) Something to write with (three Prismacolor pens) and (2) Something to write on (a Best Sketchbook). Using permanent ink and a hardbound journal to hold document my story ideas has created my library of over 100 journals. The ritual I follow is signing the start date, my contact info, and the end date. I do this in case I lose it, it can be returned.

I also never write or draw anything that I wouldn’t share with my parents. My name is the most important thing I own. Offensive drawings or harsh words diminish a person’s name.

What are your interests outside of writing?

For eight years I’ve traveled as a public speaker in schools and professional events. Approximately four months of my time is spent in hotels each year. I recently converted my Texas Trailer cargo trailer into a tiny studio. The cargo trailer mainly warehoused our children’s books, while traveling to book events. I felt the space could be much more useful as a working studio space and sleeping camper. The conversion will now allow me to visit state and national parks – an interest I’ve had since childhood.

Share some tips for other Authors or Aspiring Authors: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.

Listen to readers and professionals for writing inspiration. They request books based on topics that don’t exist or that interest them. Reader inspired books are my best sellers!

 

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers. To suggest an author interview, email her:  rgarrison@bestversionmedia.com

A literary love-fest

09 Monday Jun 2014

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BEA, Book Expo. author, books, Brad Meltzer, interviews, James Patterson, literature

Author Brad Meltzer chats with me.

Author Brad Meltzer chats with me at Book Expo America.

NEW YORK – More than 20,000 publishers, authors, agents, bookstore owners and librarians roamed through Book Expo America 2014 (BEA) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
I was surprised to learn that the state of Florida was well-represented.
Author Brad Meltzer left his wife and three children in Ft. Lauderdale to spend two days at the event.
“I get to come and say thank you to everyone who is a part of this,” Meltzer explains. “There may be one name on the cover, but only a fool thinks producing a book is a one-person show.”
He slid into a chair in the Hachette Book Group booth shortly before heading out to autograph copies of his new picture book biography, “I Am Rosa Parks.” It joins “I Am Amelia Earhart” and “I Am Abraham Lincoln” in his best-selling series that introduces kids to everyday heroes.
“I noticed my kids calling loud-mouthed sports figures heroes,” says Meltzer, who also hosts and writes “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” series on The History Channel. “I say being famous is different from being a hero.
“I’ve written fiction, non-fiction, children’s books and comic books,“ he adds. “All of them have one thing in common – my core belief that ordinary people can change the world.”
Meltzer is a seasoned veteran of the trade show, but first-time appearances at BEA can be daunting – even for those experienced in being in the public eye.
For example, Orlando lawyer J. Cheney Mason (best known as Casey Anthony‘s defense attorney) is the author of a new book, “Justice in America.” He arrived at BEA with his wife, Shirley, following an interview at CNN.
“I don’t have any illusions about people coming to see me,” Mason said, eyeing the crowds in the Javits Center. “I’d like to see James Patterson or Frederick Forsyth, myself.”
However, Mason was pleasantly surprised by a line of folks waiting for the 300-page book that he hopes will be used “to educate politicians, judges, lawyers and more importantly, citizens as to what happens in the judicial system.”
“The true story of what happened has never been told,” Mason adds. “I felt other books written about the trial fell substantially short. I started working on mine one year after the verdict [in 2011] but it wasn’t a priority.”
When Mason arrived in the book-signing area, a CNN cameraman turned on lights and began filming the action. Voila – another star was born.
That sort of enthusiasm permeates the convention – an event whose original purpose was partly to give bookstores the chance to order books for the fall season. It has evolved into something equally old-fashioned: a huge gathering for the book industry to talk up titles, showcase high-profile authors and try to build elusive buzz for promising books.
One day, I hope that my book is one of them.

Readers won’t do “half hazard work”

28 Friday Dec 2012

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Tags

books, literature, shades of grey

bigstockphoto_Dear_John_621861For several weeks each year, I work for a company that buys used textbooks. I must evaluate the condition of each book and frequently find papers tucked inside its pages. Based on the assignments that slip into my lap (as well as the nearly-new condition of the English literature and composition books that I buy) I’ve come to the conclusion that few students actually read.

As a result, they often have hilarious notions of how the written language represents what they hear.

One young man wrote an essay on being charged with a “mister meaner.” Another blamed “inclimate weather” for moving to Florida from a northern state.

The professor must have requested a personal evaluation, because I read a student’s admission of “half hazard work” and his belief that he wasn’t smart enough to go to an “Ivory League school.”

Relationships also appear to be popular essay subjects: A young woman resented being “taken for granite” by her boyfriend. Another student (possibly her boyfriend?) wrote of his policy of keeping relationships “strictly plutonic.”

I hear many of my young customers express relief at being finished with English classes. But as I purchase their books, I confess that I worry about the future of written language.

Will novels like “Fifty Shades of Grey” get these kids reading again?

Or will success elude them in their “doggy-dog world?”

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